About

AU$ 5,262

pledged of AU$ 3,500 goal

111

backers

BOOK COMPLETED.

The graphic novel is on the doorstep of being finished and we're now polishing it up to add in the finer details.

Hence the realization that the (now) 144-page book is more than ten pages longer than originally planned, and it has ⅔ colour and ⅓ black-and-white content, rather than the 50/50 split I was contemplating when I commenced this Kickstarter campaign.

The extra colour pages and increase in number thereby increase the price of printing, but this works far better as a whole package and artistically-speaking, so I'm going to run with it.

Rather than get somewhat greedy and introduce a "stretch" goal here — we still have a few days from today until the Kickstarter finishes — I hope some people can pitch in or refer this one to friends in order to help absorb the additional costs.

Regardless, the project is happening!

On April 14th we reached our initial target goal, so thanks to all and sundry who pledged their financial support and thereby passed on encouragement and inspiration in making this graphic novel project an upcoming reality.

Thank you/merci/danke/gracias/ありがとう

This Kickstarter campaign continues to May 23rd, so if anyone is interested in pre-ordering the book, we've opened an extra new pledge category (the $30 one) which will cover this and also includes postage to anywhere in the world.

Truth to tell, the graphic novel has been incited as much as inspired by the cool cats who've supported this project from scratch. Without you amazing people and your belief/confidence in what this could shape up to be, it quite simple would not exist.

Anyway, enough blathering! ;)

OLDER PITCH (AND SAMPLE IMAGES/FEEDBACK) BELOW:

Hello, everyone — Andrez Bergen and Fée Romney here to incite you to raise funds to produce and print a semi-colour, 130+ page comic-book iteration of this far-sighted noir novel.

TOBACCO-STAINED MOUNTAIN GOAT—the graphic novel

100% Australian-made, this hardboiled/sci-fi yarn — dripping in dystopia — has been written and is currently being illustrated by Andrez Bergen (Who is Killing the Great Capes of Heropa?/Tales to Admonish) with assistance from Cocoa Bergen (The Condimental Op), and adapted from his critically-lauded 2011 noir novel.

This means the comic adaptation, while touching upon similar territory as the novel — with key characters Floyd and Laurel — will also be a little different, and include material from Bergen's ulterior books.

Also, it will include behind-the-scene tidbits, pin-ups by other artists, Hylax and Webley-Fosbery collectibles, and brand new plot content.

"Cut to Melbourne, Australia — the most glamourous city in the world. It also happens to be the only one left standing, but nevermind that, we’re there now and I’d like you to meet your narrator, a certain Floyd Maquina, a likeable chap with one hell of a story to share. See, the powers that be are knuckling down on the Deviant menace that plagues the city, and our boy Floyd’s unknowingly got himself in the thick of it. Cue guns, intrigue, kidnappings, conspiracy and all sorts of general mayhem that make for cracking good headlines.

Does Floyd stop the bad guys? Does he get the girl? Does he make Humphrey Bogart proud? Grab some popcorn and read on."

Page 10 from the graphic novel

TSMG is that kind of a story, an essential yarn that rolls in together a wealth of cultural influences and pop-culture nuggets with a noir tale of love, betrayal, corporate violence and intrigue — set in near-future, last-city-on-earth Melbourne.

The critiques sizzled, including these gems—

reviews

“An incredible novel, completely unexpected and with such a wonderfully rich and unique style that is simply mesmerizing, unmissable.” SF BOOK REVIEWS

“I can say without qualification that not only is Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat one of my Top 5 Reads of 2011, it is one of the most creative and engaging books I’ve ever read — period. My mind is completely blown.” BOOK REVIEWS BY ELIZABETH A. WHITE

the comic book version

Now the author of TSMG, Andrez Bergen (also the writer of Who is Killing the Great Capes of Heropa? along with the Tales to Admonish and Black/White comic-book series — and an artist in his own right) in collaboration with Fée Romney is assembling a 130+ page sequential art version of Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat, set to be published at the end of July 2014.

The plot will be similar, with some minor tweaks to explore the key characters and their world, along with ulterior plot-points that were not part of the original novel — in order to expand a universe that's been further tweaked in subsequent novels Who is Killing the Great Capes of Heropa? and Depth Charging Ice Planet Goth.

This version will retell the original novel in a visual style Bergen's own — adding in extra elements that did not appear in the original novel to further expand a compelling tale, along with artistic input from Bergen's daughter Cocoa.

Think original comic book art, painting and inks along with cut-ups, collage, a sense of humour, and "found art" referencing Dada and Marcel Duchamp.

double-page spread

Some responses to Bergen's comic-related work—

feedback

"[Bergen is] in it for the passion of creating, the love of comics, and the desire to elicit a reaction from the reader." WORD OF THE NERD

To be published in July 2014.

unfinished except, page 51

one of the bonus pin-ups, this one by Marcos Vergara

one of the bonus pin-ups, this one by Drezz Rodriguez

Risks and challenges

"Although TSMG: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL is a work-in-progress, one thing I think I definitely have going for me is twenty years' experience living behind an eight-ball deadline culture within journalism — so I have absolutely no doubt the project will be completed once/if we get funding by the end of May 2014.

The story, of course, is already written and I am currently putting together the visual content. While art is not my "mainstay" occupation, I've been obsessed with comics since I started kindergarten and the creation of same is something I've continued to be involved with. I've had exhibitions of my work in both Tokyo and Melbourne.

Some of the "rules" of traditional comic book story telling are bound to be broken here. While I wouldn't lay claim to point-one percent of the talent of Will Eisner or Jim Steranko, these were constraints both men continuously rebuked, and I grew up with Marcel Duchamp being another artistic hero.

Writing-wise I've previously published five novels, literally countless short stories (for places like Crime Factory, All Due Respect, Big Pulp and Shotgun Honey), and had comics published through IF? Commix, 8th Wonder Press, Perfect Edge Books and Ace Comics.

And I co-run IF? Commix with Matt Kyme, with four self-funded comic books already under our belt, so we know the terrain."

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge AU$ 10 or more
About US$ 7

• A digital download of the brand new Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat graphic novel • PLUS: A digital download of the original 2011 Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat novel in all formats (PDF, for iPad and Kindle).
Me in your debt — again.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge AU$ 50 or more
About US$ 34

• The PRINTED COPY of the Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat graphic novel mailed to your doorstep • PLUS: An AUTOGRAPHED physical copy of one of Andrez's novels • Digital download of the graphic novel • PLUS: The digital downloads of ALL Andrez Bergen's books — Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (2011), One Hundred Years of Vicissitude (2012), The Condimental Op (2013) and Who is Killing the Great Capes of Heropa — in mixed formats (PDF, for iPad and Kindle) • PLUS: A digital copy of the Black/White noir anthology comic book • PLUS: A sneak preview of Andrez's upcoming novel Depth Charging Ice Planet Goth. And this one also gets you on the unicycle to heaven.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge AU$ 250 or more
About US$ 172

COMIC BOOK CAMEO! • An IF? Commix T-shirt • Dedication in the book itself • PLUS: You will be immortalized (or scandalized) within the pages of a future Andrez comic book yarn! Your likeness (or a loved one's) will be drawn into that story • PLUS: The PRINTED COPY of the Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat graphic novel mailed to your doorstep • AUTOGRAPHED physical copies of Andrez's books Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat and The Tobacco-Stained Sky • PLUS: Digital download of the graphic novel • The digital downloads of ALL Andrez Bergen's books — Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (2011), One Hundred Years of Vicissitude (2012), The Condimental Op (2013) and Who is Killing the Great Capes of Heropa — in mixed formats (PDF, for iPad and Kindle) • PLUS: A digital copy of the Black/White noir anthology comic book • An autographed print from the TSMG comic • PLUS... The final manuscript of Andrez's upcoming novel Depth Charging Ice Planet Goth. Bigger than Ben Hur, right?

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge AU$ 500 or more
About US$ 344

COMIC BOOK CAMEO! • An IF? Commix T-shirt • Dedication in the book itself • PLUS: You will be immortalized (or scandalized) within the pages of a future Andrez comic book yarn! Your likeness (or a loved one's) will be drawn into that story • PLUS: The PRINTED COPY of the Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat graphic novel mailed to your doorstep • AUTOGRAPHED physical copies of Andrez's books Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat and The Tobacco-Stained Sky • PLUS: Digital download of the graphic novel • The digital downloads of ALL Andrez Bergen's books — Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (2011), One Hundred Years of Vicissitude (2012), The Condimental Op (2013) and Who is Killing the Great Capes of Heropa — in mixed formats (PDF, for iPad and Kindle) • PLUS: A digital copy of the Black/White noir anthology comic book • An autographed print from the TSMG comic • PLUS... The final manuscript of Andrez's upcoming novel Depth Charging Ice Planet Goth • TWO of Andrez's Little Nobody project 12-inch vinyl records • A specially mixed collection of the tracks that helped define the original TSMG novel • AND a hard copy of the comic book anthology BLACK/WHITE. This is the big one, 007.